Tag: the hills line

Crossing Protection

by James McNab, posted in Construction

By far, the one railroad element we interact with most must be grade crossings. Doesn't matter if we're the most devoted prototype railfan or if we're only vaguely aware that flanged-wheel transportation exists somewhere in the world. At some point, we all stopped behind a gate, a flasher, or crossbuck and waited for a train … Continue reading Crossing Protection

Do Over, Part One

by James McNab, posted in Design

"There is never enough time to do it right, but there is always enough time to do it over." -John W. Bergman- As I previously mentioned, my friend and fellow Iowa Interstate modeler Scott Thornton generously gifted me a version of his lattice-truss bridge that he built for his HO scale version of the IAIS … Continue reading Do Over, Part One

Vantage Point: 2024

by James McNab, posted in Philosophy

As The Hills Line approaches its fifth year of existence, I find myself continuing to develop new approaches and processes for building and operating the layout. Not that I'm unsatisfied with my concept, but because there are always new avenues to explore in prototype modeling. Those same avenues involve how I document and distribute images … Continue reading Vantage Point: 2024